By His Hand
by allismine
Summary: The child would be Jashin’s only hope. Contains OCs, no pairings involving Hidan. Manga spoilers. Rated T for safety. Oneshot.


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**Disclaimer:** _"Naruto", and all canon characters and characteristics remain the property and rights of Kishimoto Masashi. All I own is the writing itself, and any original features and / or attributes portrayed within said writing. Special thanks to Akatsuki210 for giving me permission to borrow a few ideas from their fic, 'Twenty Truths', to create a background for the Jashin religion._

**A/N:** After a couple of rewrites and reading it again and again over time, all I can say is that this story comes off as a little corny to me. Suggestions for improvement? 8D Also, please be sure to take the time to read Akatsuki210's stories whenever you have the chance. Their fic 'Twenty Truths' inspired me to write this; they have some really, really wonderful stories and I strongly encourage you all to check them out asap. Thanks for reading, everyone; hope you enjoy this!

I--I

Several centuries ago, long before the distilling contradiction of organized government, before the institution of laws, rules, or unwritten codes of honor, a time before true visions were blinded by the shine of a hitai-ate's plate, the world viewed 'Shinobi' as nothing more than a word synonymous with 'murderer'. The civilian public had good reason to discriminate against those who assumed this name, for the sinister egocentrics who believed themselves strong enough to bear the forbidden title chose only to accept a single mindset: to destroy whatever or _whomever_ stood in the way of their clan's rise to power. Alongside the epithet's license to kill, the anarchical soldiers carried sole responsibility of forging a lasting reputation for their generation: as Shinobi, you fought in this world to keep your family's name alive.

And, as with any large group of like-minded individuals, there were those exceptional few who would strive for something more.

From the hundreds of disorganized Shinobi clans littering the map, a mysterious faction rose from the east and took advantage of the world's chaotic state, dominating the divided board by means of strength, strategic advancements, and swiftly-executed displays of mass murder. Entire cities were wiped from the face of the earth. Death tolls surged exponentially. Towns crumbled, bodies burned, all whilst the concepts of mercy and negotiation remained meaningless to the assassins' comprehension. Their ideals were absolute.

Those who didn't join their society would die by the hands of those who did.

Those who weren't willing to gain sympathy by inflicting pain unto themselves should not have the audacity to inflict that suffering elsewhere.

Those who didn't understand the pain of others did not have the right to deal such pain.

Word of their unique beliefs and unusual convictions spread throughout the remainder of the unconquered Shinobi land, inspiring hundreds of others to cross over and live for a more meaningful purpose than survival. This revered group was the first and only party in Shinobi history to have established a tangible _religion,_ a church whose popularity grew as more and more converts attributed their rapid rise in power to the favorable handiwork of God himself. As not to lose touch with tradition, the Jashin Cult (as they called themselves) based their doctrines and ideologies on the glorification of pain and destruction, appealing to those disciplined Shinobi who searched for a better reason to kill than for the mere honor of their name.

Jashin's powerful reign of blood and terror lasted for well over a decade; sixteen years of nightmarish eternity that slaughtered the unsuspecting opposition, in both figurative and literal senses.

Yet, their glory was short-lived.

When Shinobi were offered a validated purpose in life with the newly introduced development of villages, religious loyalties became overshadowed by patriotic illusions of governmental support, and promises of more immediate recognition for those searching to be seen. As Shinobi's ideals matured, faith in Jashin began to die.

The cult's dwindling numbers were not only attributed to disloyal followers, but also toward the fact that existing members were stubbornly unwilling to recognize their human nature and transgress their vows of celibacy. Sex would lead to the creation of life, the single, unspeakable objective which would prove contradictory to what any devoted Jashinist stood for. Because of this, faith was not the only thing that began dying out.

Finally acknowledging the threat of total obscurity, the remaining Jashinists convened, deciding that their only hope for survival was to develop a Jutsu that would be able to spawn a second generation of loyalists; a skill that would both allow for procreation without breaking their chastity, still being able to maintain their destructive convictions by making the result a Pyrrhic victory. This technique, when perfected, would sacrifice the lives of two mortals and use their combined bodies and souls to produce the life of another. Not only would the infant be the product of pure faith, but if successful, the technique was proof that life could be generated from the grace of God alone, automatically making the child an honored son of Jashin himself. The child would suffer the pain of a human, and yet his life would not be taken as easily as one. When grown, he would be spared the struggle of denying himself the carnal urges of a man, for a soul as pure as his own would be immune to the sinful desires of a mortal. Raised under the proper guidance of the Jashin sect, he would be trained to become nothing more than the definition of unstoppable, and the world would be forced to acknowledge Jashin's existence as they trembled in his living wake.

Months of research and dozens of supporters contributed to the project. The countless years of time and effort were to no avail.

One day, the two newest converts, a young, unmarried couple who escaped early Amegakure no Sato to join the Jashin legion, believed that they had discovered a solution to the problem, an answer which lied on their churches and sacred volumes since the beginning of the religion itself. Yielding to sexual desires was considered grounds for execution (and a soul's eternal banishment to hell), but it didn't mean that humans were completely incapable of forming a bond another way. The volunteers who participated in past rituals were missing this link to complete the process. The bond wouldn't exactly be described as 'love'...no, it was something much more powerful than that. It was a spiritual connection formed when two people joined together under Jashin, thus drawing a recognized unification with each other. A Jashinist and their captured sacrifice, for example...or two Jashinists whose respect for each other was exceeded only by their respect for their God. Their faith in God and their faith in each other would complete the trinity. A triangular connection protected by the Circle of Jashin. The emblem was the very key to life itself.

Desperate to succeed, the head priests decided to overlook the possible flaws and allowed the man and woman to undertake the ritual together.

They were successful.

To this day, there has not yet been a spiritual connection strong enough to repeat the results of the one and only successful ritual of creation. Throughout the years of efforts to perfect the skill, the runaway Rain-nin were the only two members worthy of generating new life through their sacrifice. Throughout the hundreds of failed attempts, only one child survived the process. He would grow to become the savior of the Jashin Castle, an underrated chess piece that would rise from the depths and lead the religion's second engage under the playing hand of God.

The Castle's savior was a boy.

So they named him 'Hidan'.

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End file.
